


Love, Chocolate and The Godfather, Parts 1 and 2

by MechBull



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 07:12:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4737389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechBull/pseuds/MechBull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Previously posted to Livejournal May 2010</p>
<p>Attack of the Science Nerd Guy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love, Chocolate and The Godfather, Parts 1 and 2

_The occipital lobe is responsible for processing visual stimuli. Damage to this section of the brain can result in hallucinations, as well as partial or complete loss of sight._

Reid sat down at his desk as he took a sip of his cooling latte. He was technically on his lunch break, but Reid never really stopped working, so he pulled the pile of folders in the middle of the desk closer to him. His assistant must have put them there while he was downstairs at the coffee shop.

The majority of the case files were referrals. Reid had a pretty good feel for what would interest him or even be worth his time, and he made it through the first few pretty quickly. Only one went into the “follow-up” pile. He picked up the next file, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet on the desk. _Noah Mayer_ , it read. Reid opened the file and skimmed the top-page report. _Illinois. Fireworks. Blind._

“Nope,” Reid said to himself and the empty room. He tossed the file onto the pile beside him and reached forward for the next one.

The following day, among the many other phone messages giving thanks and requesting consults and inviting him to speak at conferences, there were three messages from a name he didn’t recognize. _Luke Snyder re: Noah Mayer case._ It took Reid a second to remember, and then he put the message aside.

The following day, there were five more messages from Mr. Snyder.

And the next day, there were four more.

Over the following weekend, he apparently called twenty times.

Reid sighed and picked up the phone.

**

  
_The brainstem is, essentially, the base reptilian bundle of tissues that keeps you alive. It consists of the medulla oblongata, the pons and the midbrain. The medulla oblongata, the lower half of the brainstem, regulates autonomic functions of the cardiac and respiratory systems, and controls the vomiting and vasomotor centers of the brain._

When Reid was taking Gross Anatomy, his study partner/fuck buddy (Reid didn’t do relationships) had a bizarre tendency to turn everything into band names. Between pizza and orgasms, he would keep Reid laughing as he listed the ten tracks that would appear on the first album of _The Vas Deferens Project_ or _Duodenum and the Intestines_. That one nearly caused a fight, as Reid just wouldn’t let go of the fact that the duodenum is part of the small intestine and therefore shouldn’t be separated from the rest of the group. Jack finally just said the duodenum clearly was aiming for a solo career and then shut Reid up with a quite stellar blow job.

But Reid’s favorite band name was _Medulla Oblongata_. Partly because it was from neuroanatomy and Reid already loved the brain more than anything else, and partly because he just liked saying it. _Medulla oblongata._

For some reason, when they turned off Annie's life support, the only thing Reid could think of was that late fall day when he and Jack tried to one-up each other with details for the VH1 Behind the Music episode of the rise and fall of _Medulla Oblongata_. He knew it was the last part of her that valiantly hung on, before the jagged peaks turned to a straight line.

Reid would never admit it out loud, but sometimes he missed the days where the _fun_ of neurology was in kissing Jack as they pretended to study – and not in being the go-to guy for the long-shot cases. It was still fun; it would never not be fun. But there was just so much more pain when the brains on the table belonged to little girls with beautiful smiles and not cadavers donated for Gross Anatomy Lecture and Lab.

Because, as he was painfully reminded whenever he thought about Annie’s smile or saw Luke’s teasing grin, the brainstem also provided a path for the motor and sensory cranial nerves to the face.

**

  
_The cerebral cortex is a sheet of tissue outermost to the cerebrum. It consists of numerous folds and grooves, with more than two-thirds of the surface hiding in the sulci. Functions of this portion of the brain include control of voluntary movements, especially those performed by the hand. The primary motor cortex enables execution of the movements, while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decides which movements are made based on rules and thoughts._

For Reid’s entire life, fine motor control meant strategy and competition.

It meant knowing that if he reached out and picked up that piece with just the tips of his two fingers and carefully moved it to _that_ square, then his opponent would move _there_. And Reid would know, just know, that two more moves down the line, he would smile and say “checkmate.”

It meant the slow and steady incisions that left thin trails of blood behind scalpel blades. It meant putting just the right amount of pressure in just the right place so he only sliced away the damaged or diseased tissue and nothing else.

But lately, it began to mean more. It meant the tightening of his fingers around the strap as he held onto the fake bucking bull. It meant clumsily slipping the buttons out of their holes as he tried to undress Luke, moments before he stopped Reid and pulled away. And Reid began to hope it would mean, someday, the dancing of Luke’s fingers over his skin as they moved lower and lower and finally entered him.

**

  
_Located along the brain’s midline, the suprachiasmatic nucleus is responsible for the cyclical patterns of the body. Like many animals, humans follow an approximate 24-hour circadian rhythm. Behaviors regulated in this fashion include sleep, physical activity, hormone levels, body temperature, immune function and digestive activity._

Abnormal sleep cycles are a fact of life when you’re a surgeon. Those who couldn’t adapt in medical school never made it professionally. First, there are all-nighters studying for exams, and later, the 15, 20 hour shifts during internships and rotations. Later still, there’s the shrill beep of a pager or ring of a phone waking you up at all hours of the night, informing you of an emergency. Reid was very, very used to this lifestyle. He knew how to fall asleep the moment his head hit a pillow (or in some cases, an arm of a chair or the surface of a desk).

Of course, throwing off your sleep patterns ended up disrupting everything else, too. Sometimes that meant an annoying head cold. Other times, it meant 3 AM yoga. Usually for Reid, it just meant his metabolism and eating habits made other people gag.

Katie gave him a trademark face of disgust as he piled the last slice of cheese on his sandwich and pushed the other piece of bread on top. Reid smirked back at her before ripping a chunk off with his teeth.

“Mmm,” he mumbled, darting his tongue out to lick up a spot of mayo in the corner of his lips.

“I don’t know how you can eat like that,” she observed for the millionth time.

“The suprachiasmatic nucleus helps regulate digestive activity,” Reid informed her around the half-eaten bite.

“O…K,” she replied, tilted her head in confusion.

“Research in the ‘90s showed that it’s nearly twice the size in homosexual men compared to straight men.”

Katie began to laugh, shaking her head as she went to check on Jacob.

“Maybe there’s a connection,” Reid called after her. “Just saying.”

“Eat your sandwich!”

“It’s not the only thing that’s bigger in homosexual men, or so I’m told.”

Katie’s only response was peals of laughter.

**

  
_When the brain perceives a stimulus as threatening, information is relayed from the sensory cortex, through the hypothalamus and to the brainstem. A number of physiological reactions occur that facilitate spontaneous and intuitive behaviors associated with combat or escape; in common parlance, this is known as the “fight or flight” response. The release of epinephrine and other hormones leads to, for example, accelerated heart and lung activity, paling or flushing of the skin or alternating between the two, inhibition of stomach and intestinal activity, inhibition of sexual arousal, constriction of blood vessels except those supplying muscles, release of nutrients to facilitate muscular action, loss of hearing, tunnel vision, and shaking._

Reid’s not going to lie. He’s been punched before. Many times before. Sometimes by patients or relatives, like with Mr. Judd, and sometimes for personal reasons, like with Noah Mayer. Most of the time, he probably deserves it. And really, the fact that he rubs people the wrong way wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who's ever met him.

What would come as a surprise, possibly, is that Reid considers himself more of a “flight” kind of guy. Not to say he won’t stand up for himself when necessary. It’s just easier to toss off a scathing, thinly-veiled (if veiled at all) insult and be halfway down the hall before the other person figured out what he said. It’s less painful, emotionally and physically, to walk away than it is to take a punch, no matter how much he wishes he could take away a grieving parent’s pain. (Ex-boyfriends get no sympathy.)

He walked away from chess, rather than confront his parents about why they continued to push him. He unintentionally rammed into another car because he couldn’t get away from one infuriatingly attractive Luke Snyder fast enough. He encouraged Noah to fight for what he wanted, because Reid couldn’t bear the thought of what would happen if he tried the same thing – and lost.

There were times he couldn’t get away, of course. Like in the elevator, when his body betrayed him and he panicked. Intellectually, he knew they were fine. He knew they would be rescued soon. But some animalistic part of him couldn’t get past the mental image of them flattened by gravity at the bottom of the elevator shaft. The sound of Luke’s steady voice encouraging him to calm down and the litany of the wonders of the brain were the only thing that worked.

And now – now was another occasion when his natural instinct was to flee. This was not him; he didn’t open up and talk about his feelings. He didn’t _do_ relationships. But Luke wouldn’t let him leave. Reid could feel the tell-tale signs – increased breathing, heart pounding, body slightly shaking. And he started to talk, nonsensical words falling from his lips in a rush.

It was odd, in retrospect, that for something that could inhibit arousal, fear was pretty much the same thing as sexual tension sometimes.

And then, Luke’s hand was cupping his face, and they were kissing.

**

  
_During orgasm, there are fairly similar changes in both male and female brains. Both show a decrease in metabolic activity in the cerebral cortex along with normal or increased metabolic activity in the limbic areas of the brain. Interestingly, in both sexes, regions of the brain associated with behavioral control, fear and anxiety shut down. Researchers suggested that letting go of those particular emotions might be important, even necessary, in order to achieve orgasm._

Others, Reid knew, thought that the two of them fell into bed almost immediately. Some even probably believed they were together before Luke officially, finally broke up with Noah.

They weren’t.

It wasn’t for lack of desire, obviously. They couldn’t get enough of each other. They kissed each other whenever they had even a brief moment of privacy. Lips would part and tongues would stroke and hands would sneak beneath clothes. (Reid had taken to wearing scrubs much more frequently. Easier access.) They would pull apart eventually, panting and dizzy.

And then they would stop. Reid would come up with some excuse for why they couldn’t continue which was easy when he was at work and a lot harder when they were in a bedroom. At first, Luke would agree readily, saying goodbye and leaving with one last, lingering kiss. As time went on, Luke began to resist more and more. After a few weeks, Reid saw confusion and sometimes hurt in his eyes, and then one day amused understanding.

“I don’t have to go,” Luke pointed out, straddling Reid on the bed. Try as he might, Reid couldn’t resist lifting his hand to Luke’s hip.

“Your mommy might get worried,” Reid said, slightly breathless.

Luke shrugged, focusing on his hands which were slowly scratching up and down Reid’s chest. “What’s really the problem here, Reid?”

“Problem?” Reid asked, raising an eyebrow.

Luke smirked. “Don’t you want me as much as I want you?” he whispered.

Reid closed his eyes, and he swallowed thickly. “It’s not that. I just think…I’d rather – ”

Luke leaned down and kissed him.

“You’re babbling,” he informed Reid.

“I know,” Reid acknowledged. He opened his eyes and looked at Luke. “I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret. I know Noah was your first, and I want you to be…ready. ”

Luke smiled down at him. “I know what I want,” he said. “And that’s you.”

“Really?”

Luke shrugged self-deprecatingly. “If you’re willing to be with someone who’s, you know, relatively inexperienced, then…”

Reid moved quickly, flipping Luke over onto his back. “I think I can handle that.”

It was worth the wait.

“Oh my…” Luke breathed out as he recovered afterwards. “I didn’t know it could be like that.”

Reid smirked into his pillow. “That’s the orgasm talking.”

“No, I…wow.”

Reid reached out blindly, resting his hand on Luke’s stomach. “Just ride the oxytocin.”

Luke’s brow furrowed as he intertwined his fingers with Reid’s. “Isn’t that a pain medication?”

Reid smiled, turning his head to face Luke. “That’s _oxycodone_.”

“Oh.”

Reid sighed, closing his eyes in pleasure and relaxation. “Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter, a hormone. It’s associated with orgasm.” He raised his eyebrows. “Also pair bonding, trust and – and love,” he added, hoping to sound somewhat clinical.

There was no response, and Reid felt like all of his senses heightened as he waited. And then the mattress shifted, and he felt soft lips press to his cheek.

“I love you too,” Luke said quietly.

“You’re a cuddler, aren’t you?” Reid tried to complain.


End file.
